Since 1982 Bhante Gunaratana has been president of the Bhavana Society, a monastery and retreat center located in the woods of West Virginia, which he co-founded with Matthew Flickstein. He also travels frequently to lecture and lead retreats throughout the world. Gunaratana is the author of the bestselling Mindfulness in Plain English.
The Buddha's in-depth explanation of meditation is contained in the Satipatthana Sutta. Here is instructional commentary on this text and its main subject — the mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind, and dhamma.
Gunaratana states that this book is not meant to be read like a novel or digested like a university book. Rather it is "to be explored and practiced, more like a piece of great music."
In his interpretation of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the author begins with the body and the universality of breath. He also covers the mindfulness of the four postures, reflects on the 32 parts of the body, analyzes the four elements, and looks at nine cemetery contemplations.
We were impressed with Gunaratana's assessments of harmful and beneficial feelings, mind and consciousness, and the hindrances to the mindfulness of Dhamma.
